Coloplast, a manufacturer of medical products, is said to have agreed to pay about $16 million to settle lawsuits accusing the company of injuring women with its vaginal-mesh inserts. Coloplast is best known as a maker of ostomy and urine bags for post-surgical use.
Officials for Coloplast agreed in January 2014 to resolve about 400 suits over the inserts, which are designed to support internal organs. The final settlement will provide an average payment of about $40,000 for each claimant. With that said, settlement talks are continuing with other manufacturers facing thousands of suits over their vaginal-mesh inserts, including C.R. Bard (BCR) Inc. and a unit of Endo Health Solutions (ENDO) Inc.
Further, many of the cases against Coloplast and other vaginal-mesh implant makers in federal courts around the U.S. have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in Charleston, West Virginia, for information exchanges and bellwether trials.
Coloplast has been sued over implants including the Novasilk-Synthetic Flat Mesh System and the Aris-Transobturator lines, according to court filings. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Coloplast, Johnson & Johnson, Bard and more than 30 other vaginal-implant makers in 2012 to study rates of organ damage and complications linked to the implants.
All in all, J&J officials have said in court filings that more than 1 million women have received the inserts during the past 15 years to help hold up internal organs or treat incontinence. The consolidated cases are In Re: Coloplast Corp Pelvic Support System Products Liability Litigation, 12-md-2387, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia (Charleston).
Legal Commentary
The complications caused by this device have left many women to suffer with horrid recoveries, large medical bills, lost wages, and ongoing pain. From a civil standpoint, our firm has represented numerous families who are the victims of the complications from the Transvaginal mesh device. If you or a loved one has experienced any of these problems because of an implanted or removed TV Mesh, we encourage you to consult with one of our TV Mesh attorneys as soon as possible. A successful civil claim pursued against the responsible party will help compensate the victims for the costly medical expenses, and hopefully for their pain, suffering, and lost wages for time missed from work. Further questions can be directed to the Fears | Nachawati Law Firm by emailing the lead TV Mesh lawyer, Majed Nachawati at mn@fnlawfirm.com, or by calling our office at1.866.705.7584.
About the Author
Majed Nachawati is a preeminent Pharmaceutical Products Liability Lawyer with a focus on representing Transvaginal mesh victims and families harmed by dangerous implantations on a nationwide basis—especially the Transvaginal mesh device. Mr. Nachawati has resolved numerous cases through trials and settlements that have resulted in seven and eight figure confidential settlements. He is on the Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas. He is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas and Arkansas, and is in most federal courts in the nation and holds specific licenses in the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas. Mr. Nachawati is a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors for Public Justice, a Leaders’ Forum and PAC member of the American Association for Justice. Mr. Nachawati has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly Magazine for the past four consecutive years for legal excellence, in connection with pharmaceutical injury cases. Mr. Nachawati is also a member of The Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Mr. Nachawati can be reached by email at mn@fnlawfirm.com or by calling 1.866.705.7584.